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Bitterroot River near Darby

Highest listed crest 8.55 ftFlood stage 7.5 ft19 crests since 1953

The Bitterroot River near Darby crested above flood stage 8 times among the 19 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1953 to 2025. The highest, 8.55 ft on May 17, 1997, was minor flooding, 1.05 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Bitterroot River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.55 ft
May 17, 1997; 10,458 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.5 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
8 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 10, 2018
7.88 ft, minor flooding
Location
Ravalli County
Montana

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Bitterroot River near Darby
Action stage7.08May 31, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.58May 10, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

19 crests from 1953 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Bitterroot River near Darby, 1953 to 2025 56789ft Flood stage 7.5 ft Jun 13, 1953: 7.04 ft, action stage; 8,200 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1964: 7.37 ft, action stage; 9,450 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1967: 7.18 ft, action stage; 8,750 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1971: 7.12 ft, action stage; 8,670 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1976: 7.29 ft, action stage; 9,080 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1982: 7.10 ft, action stage; 9,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1996: 6.94 ft, below flood stage; 6,140 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1996: 8.26 ft, minor flooding; 9,320 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1997: 8.55 ft, minor flooding; 10,458 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2003: 8.45 ft, minor flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2008: 8.05 ft, minor flooding; 9,220 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2009: 8.18 ft, minor flooding; 9,510 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2011: 7.65 ft, minor flooding; 8,620 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2012: 7.27 ft, action stage; 7,780 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2014: 7.84 ft, minor flooding; 8,230 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2018: 7.88 ft, minor flooding; 8,870 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2020: 7.18 ft, action stage; 7,630 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2021: 6.23 ft, below flood stage; 5,830 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2025: 5.52 ft, below flood stage; 3,790 cubic feet per second Highest, 8.55 ft, May 17, 1997 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Bitterroot River near Darby 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 3 2010s: 3 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 5 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 8.18 ft on May 9, 1947; 8.12 ft on May 29, 1948; 7.85 ft on May 24, 1956; 7.83 ft on Jun 3, 1972; 8.42 ft on Jun 17, 1974.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Bitterroot River near Darby
1May 17, 19978.55+1.05Minor10,458
2May 31, 20038.45+0.95Minor10,300
3Jun 9, 19968.26+0.76Minor9,320
4May 20, 20098.18+0.68Minor9,510
5May 20, 20088.05+0.55Minor9,220
6May 10, 20187.88+0.38Minor8,870
7May 24, 20147.84+0.34Minor8,230
8Jun 8, 20117.65+0.15Minor8,620
9Jun 8, 19647.37−0.13Action9,450
10May 11, 19767.29−0.21Action9,080
11Apr 27, 20127.27−0.23Action7,780
12May 24, 19677.18−0.32Action8,750
13May 31, 20207.18−0.32Action7,630
14May 29, 19717.12−0.38Action8,670
15May 27, 19827.10−0.40Action9,000
16Jun 13, 19537.04−0.46Action8,200
17May 16, 19966.94−0.56Below flood stage6,140
18Jun 5, 20216.23−1.27Below flood stage5,830
19May 30, 20255.52−1.98Below flood stage3,790

The worst floods along the Bitterroot River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Bitterroot River that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 17, 1997: 8.55 ft here, minor flooding

  • MissoulaMT · May 19, 1997 · 13.11 ft · Moderate · its highest

May 31, 2003: 8.45 ft here, minor flooding

  • MissoulaMT · Jun 1, 2003 · 12.65 ft · Minor

June 9, 1996: 8.26 ft here, minor flooding

  • MissoulaMT · Jun 10, 1996 · 11.83 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Bitterroot River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Bitterroot River
Darby this gaugeMT7.58.55 ft, May 17, 19970
MissoulaMT11.013.11 ft, May 19, 19970

Ravalli County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Montana

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DARM8, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.